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The Law Office Of Gerald Oginski, LLC Blogen-us2016 The Law Office Of Gerald Oginski, LLC, All Rights Reserved, Reproduced with Permissionhttp://www.oginski-law.com/blog/Fri, 09 Dec 2016 04:30:01 GMTThe Law Office Of Gerald Oginski, LLC Bloghttp://www.oginski-law.com/images/logoprint.gifhttp://www.oginski-law.com/blog/
He was scheduled for surgery.

Elective surgery.

He had a problem with his shoulder for a long time.

It hurt.

It was painful.

Finally, he decided to go to an orthopedist.

The orthopedist agreed.

He needed surgery.

It was not an emergency.

It was elective.

The surgery would be 'same-day' surgery.

He'd be in and out of the ambulatory surgery center at the hospital in a few hours.

He'd have a regional anesthesia to put his entire shoulder and side to sleep.

He'd also have 'light-sedation' to put him to sleep.

He did not need general anesthesia for this elective orthopedic surgery.

He is given a date for this surgery.

The patient takes a few days off from work to have this surgery.

Before the day of surgery, he has to go for pre-surgical testing.

They need to make sure all of his labs are normal.

during the presurgical testing, a nurse asks him a series of questions.

The patient also fills out a form that asks about any problems, issues or allergies.

In this case, the patient had an allergy to lidocaine.

How did he know that?

He'd undergone a surgical procedure many years earlier and after being administered a local anesthetic, apparently passed out.

The doctors there told him that he was allergic to lidocaine.

They told him that if he ever had surgery again, to let the doctors know that he had an allergy to lidocaine.

When the nurse asked him whether he had any allergies, he responded the same way.

“I am allergic to lidocaine.”

When he was asked what happened to him when he received lidocaine, he told them he developed a rash and passed out.

The nurse made a note in the presurgical testing record indicating that the patient had an allergy to lidocaine.

The patient's blood work was normal.

We had a green light to have his elective surgery.

On the day of surgery, an anesthesiologist came to talk with them before the surgery.

Other than confirming his identity, this doctor did not ask him whether he had any allergies.

This doctor did not tell him what type of anesthesia he would be receiving.

The patient is then brought into the operating room.

The anesthesiologist is preparing the patient to have regional anesthesia.

That's basically a nerve block which anesthetize his a series of nerves in the shoulder and on the side of his body.

In order to correctly identify the location where this anesthesia medication is to go, the doctor has to use a device known as a twitch meter.

He has to identify the precise location where these nerves begin prior to injecting the patient with this anesthesia medication.

The device that was being used to identify the location of anesthesia apparently was not working correctly.

The anesthesiologist had to leave the room with the needle still sticking it to the patient's body to get another device. When he returned with a working device, the doctor believed he had correctly identified the place to administer the medication.

Within a fraction of a second after administering the anesthesia medication, the patient went into cardiac arrest.

There was a clear cause and effect here.

The procedure was now abandoned.

The anesthesiologist now had to resuscitate and revive the patient.

He had to bring him back to life.

The patient needed to be cardioverter with electric shock.

15 minutes later, the patient had been successfully revived and was rushed into the cardiac care unit for observation and evaluation.

The orthopedic surgery had been canceled.

The cardiology doctors in the coronary care unit confirm this patient suffered a coronary event that required him to follow up with a cardiologist.

The patient was never told why he suffered this cardiac arrest.

He was never told by the anesthesiologist, or any doctor for that matter what caused him to suffer this incident.

It was only after he had consulted with me and we have started a lawsuit did we learn what truly happened in this tragic case.

You should know that it was only during the course of this lawsuit, when I had an opportunity to question the various doctors under oath during pretrial testimony that I learn exactly what had happened.

You should know that when evaluating this case, my anesthesia expert had reviewed every single page of this entire medical record.

Out of hundreds and hundreds of pages of medical records, there was only one small notation. In in anesthesia record that revealed to us what had really occurred here.

It was our theory that this patient received which triggered an allergic reaction causing this cardiac arrest.

CTO at just under, and they give the patient an anesthetic containing leg pain.

When I asked why, he said “because there was nothing that I saw to indicate I could not do this.”

Turns out that doctor had failed to read the presurgical testing notes.

This doctor had never seen the note filled out by the patient indicating that he was allergic to lidocaine.

He claims he never saw the nurses notation during presurgical testing reflecting that the patient was allergic to lidocaine.

He claims he did not know that there were both computer records and paper records for this patient since the hospital was changing over from paper to computer.

Nevermind the fact that he'd been affiliated and employed by the hospital for many many years.

The bottom line is that this doctor violated the basic standards of medical care by failing to review this patient's medical chart.

This doctor failed to recognize and realize that this patient had an allergy to lidocaine.

This doctor also failed to recognize that he had an obligation to ask the patient whether he had any allergy prior to beginning surgery.

However, on the day of your visit, I guarantee that once your doctor sees you on his patient list for the day, your appointment will be cancelled.

Let's go back for a minute...

You like your doctor.

No, actually you loved your doctor.

He was smart.

He was brilliant.

He had a great bedside manner.

He was charming.

Until he caused you harm.

Until he was careless one day.

Until he misread and misinterpreted your blood work.

That delayed your diagnosis.

By ten months.

That made all the difference in the world.

Your cancer was growing out of control during that ten-month period.

You're treating oncologist told you that if this had been diagnosed ten months earlier, it would have been stage I and easily treated.

It would not have spread.

Now, after you have been diagnosed, your doctors tell you that you are stage IV.

It has spread.

Throughout your body.

It has metastasized.

The doctor gives you six months to one year to live.

This is not right.

This is not fair.

All because your doctor failed to properly read and interpret your blood work.

Your family urged you to bring a lawsuit against your doctor.

You never did this before.

You didn't want to ruin his reputation.

You liked him.

You loved him.

He always treated you well.

Your family convinced you that they were right.

Your doctor was not going to voluntarily compensate you for all the harms, losses and injuries you now are experiencing.

Your doctor was not going to pay for your kids college education out of his own pocket voluntarily.

You don't have much longer and quickly realize your family was right.

Yet throughout your lawsuit, you felt guilty.

You felt bad that you had to bring a lawsuit against your doctor.

You almost forgave him.

You didn't want to believe that he caused the delay in diagnosing your cancer.

Your attorney tells you that you have a good solid case.

He tells you it is unlikely your case will go to trial.

Your attorney tells you that the defense will probably settle your case.

The problem is that he doesn't know when.

Nor does he know if you will still be around when your case finally settles.

You have a more pressing question.

"If I am able to settle my lawsuit quickly, can I go back to my doctor, the one I sued, for ongoing medical care and treatment?"

When you raise this issue with your family, they think you're crazy.

They think you're nuts.

They start yelling and screaming at you.

They make you feel bad for thinking that somehow you'll be able to go back to your doctor as if nothing happened.

The reality is that they are right.

The reality is that your doctor will not take you back as a patient.

Your physician-patient relationship is done.

It's finished.

What was once based on trust, has evaporated.

There is no longer any trust between the two of you.

Yet you have the illusion of continuing your medical care with your doctor.

You try and make an appointment with his office.

You're thrilled that the receptionist made a new appointment for you.

You spend weeks thinking about what you'll say to your doctor and how you'll apologize.

However, once the doctor learns that you are on his patient list for that day, I can pretty much guarantee that your appointment will be immediately canceled.

I can pretty much guarantee that the doctor will refuse to see you.

Your best alternative is to seek out another physician immediately in order to continue your medical care and treatment.

To learn what happened when a doctor altered a patient's medical records, I invite you watch the quick video below...

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/you-think-youll-return-back-to-doctor-you-sued-dreaming-.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-162463Thu, 22 Sep 2016 16:19:00 ESTAn an injured patient or an injured consumer looking to bring a lawsuit seeking money as a form of compensation, the lure of a 'fast' settlement is enticing.

The lure of a quick legal proceeding is enticing.

The lure of not spending much time litigating your case is thrilling.

You've heard all sorts of horror stories about civil cases here in New York lasting 2-3 years.

That's YEARS!

You definitely don't want to wait that long to get your case resolved.

You see some TV ad while watching daytime TV or maybe late night TV that promises to get you a FAST settlement for your case.

That promise entices you to call.

That promise entices you to make an appointment with this law firm.

That promise entices you to sign up with this law firm.

You are under the impressioin, based upon this law firm's marketing and advertising that you will get (1) your case settled and (2) that your case will be settled quickly.

**WARNING** **WARNING** ​**WARNING** **WARNING** ​**WARNING**

If any lawyer ever tells you they can guarantee your case will settle, then you should run. Very quickly. Away from that lawyer.

That's because no lawyer can ever guarantee a result. EVER.

If any lawyer ever tells you they can guarantee you'll get a quick settlement, then you should run. Very quickly. Away from that lawyer.

Why?

Because no lawyer can ever guarantee the speed at which your case will resolve. EVER.

It's enticing to hear an attorney say these words.

You want to hear them.

You want your case to proceed quickly.

You want to short circuit the legal proceedings and settle your case as soon as possible.

What you also need to know is that if a lawyer or a law firm guarantee your case will settle (which they legally cannot do), that suggest that they do not try many cases.

If a lawyer or law firm only takes cases to settle them, the insurance companies will quickly learn that there is no credible threat to them since this attorney or firm doesn't have the ability to try cases and back up the threat of a jury verdict.

That strategy causes the insurance company to be able to low-ball your attorney knowing that this firm just doesn't go to trial and is afraid of trial. That gives a clear negotiating advantage to the insurance company.

On the other hand, if the insurance company knows your lawyer is an active trial attorney who prepares every case as if it is going to trial, the value of your case will likely increase.

The insurance company will also recognize that there is a significant risk going to trial and taking a verdict.

They must weigh that risk against the possibility of settling this case prior to trial for less than what a jury would ultimately decide to give the injured patient.

If your attorney continues to promise you a fast settlement, ask him to put it in writing.

Force him to put those promises in writing.

Then get him to tell you what will happen if he does not get you a fast settlement.

Will he reduce his attorney's fee if your cases doesn't settle in 4 weeks?

Will he waive the expenses on your file if your case doesn't settle in 8 weeks?

What exactly will he have to do if he doesn't live up to your promise?

The fact is that NO attorney can ever guarantee you'll settle your case.

Nor can any attorney guarantee the speed at which you do settle your case.

If a law firm advertises and markets themseleves as settling most of their cases, you need to find out how many of their cases go to trial and go to verdict. That little answer can make a HUGE difference.

To learn even more about this topic, I invite you to watch the quick video below...

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/lawyer-entices-you-to-sign-up-with-him-we-settle-fast-.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-161517Sun, 14 Aug 2016 13:48:00 ESTApoptosis is the natural process of programmed cell death. It allows for the removal of unwanted cells from the body. Cancer is a result of the lack of or incorrect process of apoptosis as cells are able to grow unchecked and immune to defense cells.

Bak is a protein that is pertinent to the process of apoptosis. It is present in healthy cells in a dormant state. When the cell receives a signal, triggering apoptosis, Bak transforms into a killer protein.

Researchers Dr. Sweta Iyer, Dr. Ruth Kluck, along with colleagues, published their findings in the journal Nature Communications explaining the discovery of a process to directly activate the Bak protein.

The Bak protein could be activated through the binding of an antibody. Researchers were able to produce such an antibody. The discovery of this antibody was unintentional and unexpected.

The discovery of this protein will be helpful in the development of other drugs to promote cell death.

Researchers analyzed Bak’s three-dimensional structure to determine exactly how the antibody activated Bak. Bak is primarily activated by a specific class of proteins called BH3-only proteins; however the antibody discovered is not a part of this class. The BH3-only proteins bind to a specific groove on Bak, while the antibody binds to a different area, yet both trigger the activation of the Bak protein.

There is a characteristic of this antibody that proves particularly useful to the creation of a cancer drug. Survival proteins alter the drug’s effect on the tumor and allow it to become drug resistant but this particular antibody cannot be neutralized by these proteins.

There was a new study of potential cancer drugs that gives insight into which experimental therapies are best predicted to one day enter the market.

Due to the sheer size of the study, it was run by multiple parties; Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the largest biotech trade association, and BioMedTracker and Amplion, two business intelligence firms.

The study found that drugs that target blood disorders have the greatest chance of receiving FDA approval while cancer drugs have the smallest changes.

Dave Thomas, the main author from Biotechnology Innovation Organization, explained that this is largest study of its kind. Over 10 years of data was analyzed following human clinical trials.

Human clinical trials occur in three phases, allowing the progression of the experimental therapy to be measured. On average, there is less than a 10% chance of a potential drug to pass from phase I to phase II. Phase I focuses only on the safety of the drug, while phase II and III focus on efficacy of the drug.

Drugs targeting blood disorders, hematology, had the greatest approval rating at just above 26%. Infectious diseases and ophthalmology (eye diseases) had similar chances at about 19% and 17% respectively. Cancer drugs ranked in the bottom along with psychiatric and cardiovascular medications with about a 5%, 6.2% and 6.6% approval rating likelihood, respectively.

The study also demonstrated that drugs with highly-personalized clinical trials, where the patients being treated were relatively homogenous. It is easier to form a therapy when the target is more similar.

Scientists from the Florida Campus of the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that it slowed the growth rate of cancer cells in animal models and may have the same effect on human tumors.

Cancer Research, the journal, published the study which focused on the effects of the drug, celecoxib (Pfizer’s Celebrex).

Celebrex functions by targeting an enzyme, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). This enzyme is linked to pain and inflammation.

COX-2 is also important in the formation of prostaglandins. These compounds act like hormones and promote tumor growth. In normal tissue, COX-2 expression is low but high in many types of cancers.

TSRI Associate Professor, Joseph Kissil led the study and explained that the original purpose of the study was to determine “what a particular signaling pathway does in cancer.” While researching, it was found that the signaling pathway activates genes that may enable the survival of tumor cells by turning on enzymes involved in inflammation.

Researchers tracked the effects of celecoxib on cancer cells in animals. They focused on a particular tumor type known as neurofibromatosis type II (NF2). NF2 is relatively rare in humans; it is a result of mutations in the anti-tumor gene NF2.

Animals in the study received a dose of the drug every day and then tumor growth was monitored and measured through imaging. The results demonstrate a there is a significantly slower tumor growth rate in the animals treated with celecoxib when compared to the controls.

The study demonstrates that COX2 inhibitors have an impact on tumor cells. Researchers believe that the drugs role in inflammation is the cause of this and may have a greater effect in other cancers.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/commonly-prescribed-painkiller-may-slow-cancer-growth.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-160048Thu, 02 Jun 2016 07:07:00 ESTNew study suggests that women with a common heart rhythm abnormality are at an increased risk of developing cancer, most commonly, colorectal cancer.

The lead researcher, Dr. David Conen from the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland found a significant relationship between the atrial fibrillation and the presence of cancerous cells.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of abnormal heartbeat and is usually associated with an increased risk of stroke and other heart problems. It affects about 33 million people worldwide.

The study demonstrates an association between the two rather than atrial fibrillation causing cancer.

The study followed about 35,000 healthy women aged 45 and older for 20 years. Of these 35,000 women, those who developed atrial fibrillation had a 60% increased risk of cancer diagnosis.

Conen added that there may be a real connection between atrial fibrillation and cancer however it is more likely that there are other shared risk factors for both conditions. These factors include smoking and obesity.

It is believed that men most likely have the same risk however the study did not look into men and the relationship between atrial fibrillation and cancer.

The best ways to reduce your risk of atrial fibrillation or cancer is to lose weight, quit smoking, and exercise. By reducing the risk of one, you reduce the risk of the other.

At the beginning of the study, the female subjects did not have atrial fibrillation or other heart problems or cancer. They were then followed between 1993 and 2013 to see if they had developed either atrial fibrillation or cancer.

Increased risk was highest over the three months after having developed atrial fibrillation but continued to persist long term.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/greater-cancer-risk-linked-to-common-abnormal-heart-rhythm.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-160047Thu, 02 Jun 2016 07:02:00 ESTIn the United States, the overall rate of colon cancer is declining however in a study shows that in the last ten years, the rate of colon cancer in people under 50 has increased by more than 11%.

The study also found that the number of colon cancers in people aged 50 and older fell by nearly 3%.

The lead researcher, Dr. Elie Sutton is a research fellow at Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York City and explained that health care providers should more proactively monitor younger patients for any symptoms.

Dr. Elie Sutton continued to say that there is no clear explanation as to why colon cancer is increasing in younger patients. There is speculation that it is a result of an increase in inflammatory bowel disease or a change in diet.

Researchers in the study found that individuals under 50, diagnosed with colon cancer more frequently were diagnosed when the cancer had advanced to a later stage.

According to the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), colon and rectal (colorectal) cancer is the third most common cancer. An estimated 134,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will arise in 2016. Colorectal falls just behind lung cancer as the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

Researchers of this study reviewed more than 1 million colorectal cancer cases ranging from 2004 to 2013. This data was listed in the National Cancer Database.

The majority of cases of colorectal cancer occur after the age of 50 however the study found that the number of cases of people under 50 is rising about 1%.

This study mirrored the results of a study from January 25th that found that one in seven colon cancer patients is under 50.

Although younger patients are more likely to have an advanced stage cancer, they live slightly longer and with a smaller cancer recurrence because of the aggressive treatment they receive.

Rebecca Siegel, the Strategic Director of Surveillance Information Services at the American Cancer Society explained that although there is no definitive reason as to why the increasing rate at a young age is occurring, there are assumptions that it has to do with obesity and changing patterns in diet.

These studies are changing the screening guidelines to better prepare and diagnose patients.

Certain individuals under the age of 50 should undergo a colonoscopy, specifically those with a family history of colon cancer and with family members with benign tumors in the colon.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/cases-of-colon-cancer-in-people-under-50-is-rising.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-160046Thu, 02 Jun 2016 06:56:00 ESTA leading oncologist claims that a cure for cancer is nearer than it has ever been.

Advances in a revolutionary treatment called immunotherapy are now occurring at a rapid rate. In turn, patients benefit substantially.

Oncologists rarely use the word cure. They talk a lot about being “in remission” but cure is the “Holy Grail.”

With some of the immunotherapies, some patients appear to just go on and on with no resurgence of the disease.

One reason cancer cells thrive is because they are able to hide from the immune system. Immunotherapy on the other hand wakes up a patient’s own immune system so it can fight cancer.

Certain immunotherapies mark cancer cells, which makes it easier for the immune system to find and destroy them. Other immunotherapies boost the immune system to work better against cancer.

These treatments have been effective against lung, skin, kidney, bladder, and head and neck cancers. These are some of the most aggressive types of cancer which are extremely difficult to treat and together claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

In one British clinical trial, patients with advanced skin cancer who would have been declared terminally ill are now back at work and are predicted to live until old age. Some of the patients may never need treatment again, others may just require top-up sessions every few weeks or months.

Oncologists advice cancer sufferers who want to think about immunotherapy, they should have a discussion with heir oncologist. It is important to access the right information.

Some immunotherapy can be purchased off the shelf, but it is better to do it through a clinical trial in an area where the drugs are licensed. New drugs are provided free for clinical trials and scientist and drug developing clinicians were optimizing the benefits of the new drugs.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/researchers-are-closer-to-the-holy-grail-of-curing-cancer.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-160045Thu, 02 Jun 2016 06:51:00 ESTA study led by the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that the breast tissue surrounding tumors may be used to scale future survival outcomes. This study is limited to women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

The National Cancer Institute reports that approximately 70% of breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive.

Researchers identified and linked a particular gene expression pattern in the surrounding breast tissue of women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, to lower 10 year survival.

This finding was published in the journal npj Breast Cancer.

There is belief that gene expression patterns will allow for the prediction of survival for patients. Gene expression patterns can be identified through the use of genomic sequencing.

The study’s first author, Melissa Troester, PhD., a UNC Lineberger Member, and an associate professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Epidemiology, stated that previous studies attempted to develop predictive biomarkers for the progression of cancer by focusing on tumor cells rather than the surrounding tissue. This study demonstrates that the microenvironment of the tumor as well as the tumor itself plays a role in the prognosis.

Multiple genomic characteristics of the surrounding tissue were analyzed by researchers in this study. Researchers focused on DNA mutations, repeat copies of genes, DNA methylation, and miRNA and Gene expression patterns. This study used samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas which is a multi-institution, collaborative effort.

Co-author Katherine Hoadley, PhD., explained that the surrounding tumor tissues are not as heavily monitored as the tumor itself. In many of the samples, evidence of tumor or changes in the tissue was found. There was no uniform genomic difference in the surround breast tissue to consistently identify defects, demonstrating the difficulty of determining differences.

Approximately 40% of the samples analyzed had some variation of DNA or RNA defect in the normal tissue outside the tumor margin. Genomic determining methods aided in the identification of cancer cells or defective normal cells. These cells were previously undetected using a microscope. The presence of cells with defects was not linked to a better or worse survival.

This study demonstrates the benefits of radiation therapy which has shown lower recurrence rates in women who chose breast-conserving surgery. It also reaffirmed that a wider surgical margin in surgery has no greater benefit as cells with genetic defects may be located as far as 4 centimeters away from the tumor.

Radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy are more effective than a wider margin in surgery in eliminating cells with DNA defects, thus lowering recurrence rates.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/breast-cancer-prognosis-linked-to-genes-of-normal-tissue.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-160023Wed, 01 Jun 2016 07:04:00 ESTLeading researchers are saying that even women with genes linked to breast cancer can try to deter it by living a healthy lifestyle. Researchers found that women with a high genetic risk of breast cancer were deeply affected by their lifestyle as well.

A research team at Johns Hopkins came out with a new study about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to prevent breast cancer. The leading researcher on the study, Nilanjan Chatterjee, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said, “Those genetic risks are not set in stone.”

Which lifestyle factors were the most important?

There were four factors that were extremely important: maintaining a healthy weight; not smoking; limiting alcohol; and not using hormone therapy after menopause.

Experts found that if women followed these four factors then they could decrease their risk of getting breast cancer by 30 percent. They also surprisingly found that most of the deterred cancer cases would be amongst women with a genetic predisposition and family history to the cancer (but the study did not include women with the BRCA gene). The study focused on 92 gene variants with a predisposition to the cancer.

Chatterjee told CBS news, “Lifestyle factors may be even more important for women at higher genetic risk than for those at low genetic risk.” The recent findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Oncology journal.

How was the study conducted?

Chatterjee's group created a model for predicting a woman's threat of breast cancer, using that genetic information plus other relevant factors. Those other factors included ones that cannot be altered in any way; this includes things like family history of breast cancer and the age menstruation started, in conjunction with lifestyle habits.

What did the study find?

In general the study shows that the average 30-year-old white woman has an 11 percent chance of developing breast cancer by age 80. The study found that even for women who would face higher odds because of their genes, lifestyle habits made the biggest difference in breast cancer prevention.

The study showed that even women with the greatest risks (the top 10 percent) ‘could get their breast cancer odds down to average by maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and drinking, and not using hormone therapy’.

William Dupont, a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, said, “The bottom line is, this study provides evidence that, on a population level, a certain number of breast cancer cases would be prevented if women did these things.”

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/can-lifestyle-affect-your-chances-of-getting-breast-cancer-.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-160022Wed, 01 Jun 2016 06:54:00 ESTCry-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) is a technology that allows for the visualization of proteins. Scientists broke through a technological barrier using this technology that will aid in drug discovery and development

National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Sriram Subramaniam, Ph.D., led a research team that resulted in the picture taking of an enzyme found in cells, glutamate dehydrogenase, at a resolution of 1.8 angstroms. This level of detail has allowed for the structure of the central portion of the enzyme to be visualized in atomic detail.

Scientists from the National Center for advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) provided contributions and aided to the discovery.

These advances benefit drug developers who could not potentially use cry-EM technology to modify drugs and witness the resulting change in structure, enabling a change or alternation in behavior for therapeutic effect.

Previously, the target proteins when bounded to drug candidates had to be coaxed to form arrarys. The traditional method of structure determination required the assembly of arrays so that X-ray crystallography could capture an image. An issue arose as not all proteins may form arrays easily and will not display the structure accurately.

Subramaniam stated that cry-EM technology allows for the structure determination of protein and potential drug candidates at a high level of detail. He believes this will “revolutionize and accelerate the drug discovery process.”

This study included the research on two small proteins, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as they are active targets in terms of cancer drug development. The mutation of the genes that code for these specific proteins is found in several different types of cancer. Scientists hope to use this imaging to identify molecules that will bind to and turn off protein activity.

The journal Nature Methods titled cryo-EM technology as the “Method of the Year” this past January.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/study-identifies-proteins-in-metabolism-of-cancer-cells.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159997Tue, 31 May 2016 10:33:00 ESTPeople with certain genetic changes have a higher than normal chance of breast cancer. Researchers say they can lower the risk, sometimes by a lot.

Researchers believe that about 30% of breast cancer cases found in white women could have been prevented. Four preventative measures include not smoking, drinking little alcohol, keeping a healthy body weight, and skipping hormone replacement therapy.

Nilanjan Chatterjee from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health co-authored a report with his colleagues estimating that 28.9% of white women were at the lowest risk with these four factors. The report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Associations JAMA Oncology.

Hopelessness often follows people who find they have a “cancer gene” and Chatterjee hopes that these findings offer hope to these people. Genetic risk to breast cancer is partly dependent on lifestyle and habits.

The study and conclusion cannot be generalized to the average person, yet.

The increase in frequency of DNA analysis is a result of increased ease and decreased price for the tests. This has allowed people to discover rare mutations in their gene that increase their chances of cancer.

This study included the analysis of more than 40,000 cases of women with breast cancer and other medical ailments. Researchers looked at 92 different common mutations that are known to raise the chances of breast cancer. The study did not look at the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes because they are the two best known and most studied breast cancer genes.

Although the BRCA genes are most known, the other 92 mutations account for more of the breast cancer cases than the BRCA genes.

There is hope that this model will serve as an aid for women, determining if women are at higher risk and should begin to receive mammograms at an earlier age.

This study will also help to enhance the breast cancer screening recommendations as it is primarily based on age at the moment.

More than 230,000 US women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, the American Cancer Society estimates. Of those 230,000 women, 40,000, or just over 17%, will die from the disease.

Outside experts, Dr. William Dupont, Dr. Jeffery Blume, Dr. Jeffrey Smith, believe that it is too early to use this study as an aid and that it should not serve in clinical decision making.

Women today use the Gail Method to calculate breast cancer risk. This method takes into account age, family history of breast cancer, pregnancy history, and race.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/lowered-risk-for-individuals-with-breast-cancer-prone-genes.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159979Mon, 30 May 2016 10:55:00 ESTMedical errors are the leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States.

However, another study suggests that doctors and other healthcare providers may be committing fewer medical errors today than in the past. This trend has held more or less steady since 2004. These findings are included in the recently released Chartbook on Patient Safety.

The Chartbook is part of a larger report to Congress issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is one of twelve federal agencies that make up the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In the latest Chartbook, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality tracked medical malpractice payment reports to the National Practitioner Data Bank. Medical malpractice payment reports are one way to flag potential medical errors. The National Practitioner Data Bank is an electronic depository of medical malpractice payments and other adverse actions against doctors and other providers.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, between 2004 and 2014 the number of medical malpractice payment reports decreased by 28%. This declining trend was steady for every year except in 2013, when there was a slight increase in the number of reports.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that for the 10-year period most payments were related to alleged errors in treatment, diagnosis and surgery. Mistakes in these areas of medical service were followed in declining order by errors in obstetrics, medication, monitoring, anesthesia, equipment or products, behavioral health and intravenous blood products.

Harm to patients as a result of alleged medical errors ranged from emotional injury to death. Death accounted for more than one third of the alleged errors.

Although the decline is important, medical error remains a very serious problem in the United States.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/study-suggests-decline-in-medical-errors.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159978Mon, 30 May 2016 10:32:00 ESTA new study found that wealthy countries experienced an increase in cancer deaths during the global economic crisis.

There were about 260,000 excess deaths between 2008 and 2010.

The analysis found evidence that access to medical care might explain the rise. Increases in the unemployment rate were associated with additional cancer deaths except in countries with universal health care, where access to health care coverage would not have depended on employment.

The associations between unemployment increases and mortality were statistically significant for treatable cancers, which include but are limited to breast and prostate cancer. However, types of pancreatic cancer deemed untreatable because survival rates are low were not statistically significant.

The study demonstrates that universal health care should be implemented and prioritized. It can protect populations from potentially unnecessary cancer deaths.

Researchers assert that it is important to invest in health care systems, otherwise the consequences could be fatal.

The study doesn’t prove that unemployment or cutbacks in heath spending were the trigger for the increase in cancer deaths. However, to put the increase in fatalities in perspective, there were about 9 million cancer deaths in developed countries over that time frame which constitutes an increase of about 3%.

The study analyzed cancer mortality data from more than 70 countries. The study found that a 1% rise in unemployment was associated with .37 additional cancer deaths per 100,000 people.

Research also found a five year lag which suggests that years after unemployment increases, additional people continued to die of untreatable cancers.

Once the researcher controlled for the presence of universal health coverage, those differences vanished.

The study did have limitations. The accuracy of cancer and mortality data varies widely by country. The pattern is only an association and can’t prove that the economic downturn caused more deaths.

Nevertheless, researchers believe that the findings support the idea that universal health care coverage could improve the prognosis for patients with cancer at an early stage.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/uptick-in-cancer-deaths-during-the-recession.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159977Mon, 30 May 2016 10:26:00 ESTA study tested the progression of a new drug and its efficacy towards helping skin cancer patients. This study had results demonstrating survival of at least three years where previously patients were given prognoses of just a few months.

The drug targets the immune system after a patient has been diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer.

Approximately 40% of melanoma patients in the study were still alive three years later. Former President Jimmy Carter was treated with this drug after he was diagnosed last summer with melanoma that had spread to his brain.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Caroline Robert, explained that “these patients would be dead if it was five years ago” without the aid of this new drug.

The drug is Keytruda and it is part of a new class of genetically engineered anti-body based medicines. Cancers grow because proteins prevent the immune system from attacking cancerous cells. This immune targeting drug will block such proteins allowing the immune system to function correctly and recognize and kill the cells.

Immunotherapy is much less toxic than chemotherapy and is transforming the treatment of cancer.

This study provides the best long-term data ever for the treatment of melanoma skin cancer that has progressed and spread to other organs, explained Dr. Robert.

Carter has received this drug treatment after his diagnosis last summer and is responding well. He announced in March that he no longer needs treatment for cancer.

Cleveland Clinic cancer specialist, Dr. Dale Shepard, stated that the “drug has kept the disease under control and has been well-tolerated.”

Former President Carter is now 91 and was seen exuberant earlier this month when he helped to give an honorary humanities degree to Gregg Allman at Georgia’s Mercer University where Carter acts as a trustee.

The study of Keytruda was followed up with over 650 patients and led to the approval of Keytruda in 2014 for advanced melanoma.

Of this study, 85 patients remain cancer free which raises hope for an eventual cure.

The Keytruda study was released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology at a news briefing.

Approximately 77,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in a year and from that, 10,000 people will pass away from the disease. Although melanoma is much less common than other skin cancers, it is much more aggressive and likely to spread to other organs.

This drug acts a game-changer and allows for many patients to return to work and live productive lives after treatment.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/long-term-survival-after-skin-cancer-due-to-immune-drug.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159972Sun, 29 May 2016 08:34:00 ESTResearch institute, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has generated antibodies that will aid the immune system. These antibodies will reprogram certain macrophage cells located in tumors allow for the immune system to recognize and kill tumor cells. This study shows potential for a new therapy that may aid in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and malignant melanoma.

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment different than chemotherapy as the immune system itself is enhanced in order to kill the tumor cells.

Research team member, Mikael Karlsson, explains that the antibodies activate macrophages within the tumor and studies show promising results in regards to three different cancers studied.

In 2013 the leading scientific journal Science described immunotherapy as a groundbreaking achievement. Antibodies increase and enhance the ability of T-cells to kill tumor cells. However certain tumor cells are still able to conceal themselves by emitting signals that prevent recognition.

The focus of this study centers on macrophages which normally target viruses. Researchers were able to reprogram and activate macrophages which showed a stop in growth and spread in mice. Antibodies were used to target a protein on the cell surface.

Research demonstrates that this type of macrophage is present in breast cancer cells and in malignant melanoma cells. There is hope that an antibody can be developed to reprogram the macrophages.

There is also an interest in the use of macrophages in human tumors for the diagnosis of cancer diseases.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/antibodies-can-reprogram-cells-to-kill-tumor-cells.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159971Sun, 29 May 2016 08:29:00 ESTA new “precision” cancer treatment appears to outperform traditional chemotherapy treatments. This new method is guided by genetic clues from the individual patient’s own tumor.

Patients who received the personalized treatment experienced tumor shrinkage at a rate six times greater than the normal chemotherapy treatments. This is only possible when doctors used specific genetic information that allows for targeted therapy, explained lead researcher Maria Schwaederle.

According to the analysis of nearly 350 clinical trials, patients experienced nearly double the time before the cancer resumed growing when compared to normal chemotherapy.

The overall data and conclusions of this treatment method are still considered as preliminary until the results have been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

This treatment works to aid the immune system recognize, identify, and destroy cancer cells, block cancerous-cell division, and stop the formation of blood vessels used to feed the tumors, and order apoptosis, or preprogrammed cell death.

Dr. David Hyman, a medical oncologist and director of developmental therapeutics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, explains that this study demonstrates the potential power that precision medicine has.

This procedure works as it allows for specific drugs to treat specific cancers. Unlike chemotherapy treatment which is a drug that has no relation to the tumor itself, the precision treatment on the hand, more strongly relates to the tumor and patient themselves.

Targeted therapies are used for a variety of cancers like the drug Erlotinib (Tarceva) used for lung cancer, the drug dabrafenib (Tafinlar) used for melanoma, and trastuzumab (Herceptin) for breast cancer.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/new-precision-cancer-treatment-outperforms-old-treatments.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159970Sun, 29 May 2016 08:24:00 ESTThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an immunotherapy developed by Roche for the treatment of advanced cases of urothelial carcinoma. Urothelial carcinoma is a bladder cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, there are expected to be about 77,000 new cases of bladder cancer this year in the United State and 16,000 deaths. About three-quarters are in men, making bladder cancer the fourth most common cancer in men.

Bladder cancer is treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, although those are not very effective once the cancer is in advanced stages.

The therapy, called Tecentriq, works by preventing a protein called PD-L1 from binding to the PD-1 protein on T cells and inhibiting the body’s immune response.

Tecentriq is the fourth checkpoint inhibitor to be approved. Other checkpoint inhibitors inhibit the same immune interaction but do so by binding to PD-1, whereas Tecentriq binds to PD-L1.

This is the first checkpoint inhibitor approved for bladder cancer.

In a clinical study, 14.8& of patients had their tumors shrink significantly following treatment. In 5.5%, the cancer disappeared completely.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the treatment will cost about $12,500 a month.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also approved an accompanying diagnostic that measures PD-L1 levels in order to asses a patient’s likelihood of responding to Tecentriq. Patients with high PD-L1 had the most success on the therapy. Tumors shrunk in about 26% of patients and 12% of patients experienced complete remissions.

However, it is unclear how much of an impact immunotherapy will have on bladder cancer since patients have not been followed for a long time. Regardless, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found Roche’s data compelling enough and the need urgent enough to approve Tecentriq about four months ahead of the agency’s September 12 deadline.

]]>http://www.oginski-law.com/blog/fda-approves-bladder-cancer-immunotherapy.cfmwww.oginski-law.com-159947Fri, 27 May 2016 10:34:00 ESTResearchers have recently identified a mechanism that causes natural killer immune cells to show mercy to cancer.

Natural Killer cells are specialized white blood cells that act as the immune system’s assassins. Their job is to locate and eradicate “deviant” cells in the body that may pose a threat.

The ability to switch it off had a dramatic effect on mice with normally lethal skin, prostate and breast cancers.

Natural killer cell action against the tumor was stepped up and prevented deadly metastasis. Deadly metastasis is the spread of cancer to vital organs in the body.

In breast cancer, tumor growth in the mammary glands was significantly reduced.

Researchers are hopeful that this research will lead to new immunotherapies that supercharge the body’s natural killer cell and maintain it in a highly active state to more efficiently and specifically fight cancer.

Some of the cells targeted are infected while others show signs of becoming cancerous. Once a deviant cell is identified, the natural killer cell releases a chemical called perforin that blasts holes in its outer membrane. Other molecules fired through the holes cause the cell to fall apart or self-destruct.

The immune system also possesses a complex system of checkpoints that in certain situations tone down its responses to prevent accidental damage to healthy tissue.

Researchers found that a particular checkpoint pathway had the effect of taming natural killer cells.

An inhibitor protein made inside the cells limited their ability to respond to an activating signal that issues the “command” to kill cancer.

Once researcher silenced the protein’s gene, they were able to enhance the ability of natural killer cells to protect mice against melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.